Former Sony Bend director Jeff Ross, who directed the 2019 game Days Gone, has confirmed that he’s joined Tomb Raider studio Crystal Dynamics as a design director. Ross tweeted the news yesterday following the studio’s confirmation that they’re working on the next Tomb Raider game built on Unreal Engine 5.

“I’m excited to announce I now work at the amazing Crystal Dynamics as Design Director,” said Ross in his latest tweet. “That’s all I can say other than I’m thrilled with the project, and especially the team of really wonderful people.”

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Ross will likely work on the next Tomb Raider game, which Square Enix announced yesterday to be in development during Epic’s Unreal showcase.

Alongside Ross, writer/director John Garvin also parted ways with Sony Bend in December 2020. It was reported that the pair left the studio following creative differences with Sony over the future direction of Bend and the rejected pitch for Days Gone 2. They worked at the studio (formerly known as Eidetic) since the mid-90s, having worked as leads on the PS One game Syphon Filter and its sequels.

Meanwhile, Sony is reportedly moving forward at Bend with “Project Propaganda“, which is believed to be a spiritual successor to Syphon Filter.

Crystal Dynamics, on the other hand, also have their hands full as they were hired by Xbox to co-develop the upcoming Perfect Dark with The Initiative. However, some reports behind the scenes claim that Crystal Dynamics are leading most of the charge in the game’s development at the moment.

Days Gone released in 2019 for PS4 to a mostly divisive critical reception, but received a better response from fans. Sadly, Sony apparently turned down a pitch for a sequel with some speculating the middling critical reception as a big factor as well as lower sales compared to other heavy-hitting exclusives. The game is also currently available on PC via Steam.

Source: Jeff Ross